Ahead of President Xi Jinping's visit to India for the BRICS summit and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China on Friday said both countries should handle differences properly and view their ties from a strategic and long-term perspective.
President Xi is set to arrive in New Delhi on Saturday for the BRICS summit, marking his first trip to India in almost seven years. He is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the summit’s sidelines on same day.
Responding to a question on China’s view of the Modi–Xi meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing that this will mark the third consecutive year the two leaders have met, following their previous meetings in Kazan and Tianjin.
Mao stated that China will collaborate with India to follow the strategic direction set by their leaders, approach bilateral ties from a high-level and long-term perspective, intensify communication and deepen cooperation to appropriately manage differences, and strive to remain friendly neighbors and mutually supportive partners.
Speaking about the BRICS summit, Mao stated that it has become a crucial platform for emerging markets and developing nations to maintain solidarity and cooperation.
Since its inception, she noted, the BRICS countries have embraced a spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and mutually beneficial collaboration.
BRICS has remained dedicated to defending multilateralism, fairness, and justice while pursuing shared development, and has evolved into a significant force at the forefront of the Global South, she added.
China attaches great importance to BRICS and actively participates in BRICS cooperation, she said.
About the significance of the New Delhi summit, which is taking place amid the Iran-US conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war, Mao said China stands ready to work with BRICS countries to settle disputes through dialogue and negotiation and contribute to peace and stability.
Xi’s visit is anticipated to be a major diplomatic event, carrying significant implications for ongoing efforts to stabilise relations between the two Asian powers and for BRICS cooperation in the midst of an unsettled global environment.
He previously traveled to Goa in 2016 to participate in the BRICS summit and had made his first trip to India in September 2014. More recently, in 2019, he visited Mamallapuram near Chennai for an informal summit with Prime Minister Modi.
Xi's forthcoming visit is significant, as it comes amid efforts by India and China to normalise relations after a prolonged freeze following the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff.
In the run-up to Xi's visit, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conducted extensive discussions in Beijing last month on the boundary issue, the preservation of peace and stability along the border, and measures to enhance bilateral relations.
At the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks in Beijing on August 25, both parties achieved an eight-point consensus and agreed to push forward discussions on an early and substantial outcome in boundary delimitation and border management.
In the context of these significant discussions on the boundary and broader bilateral matters, a meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit is likely to be closely monitored for signals about the future trajectory of India-China relations.